My Town: NYC
Stylist Kate Young Finds Quiet Charm Amid the Chaos
With the arrival of Fashion Week today, New York will inevitably become a hyperkinetic whirlwind of finery and flash, fueled by canapes and mini-bottles of Moet. Thankfully, there are people like Kate Young, the yin to the over-indulgent yang. “I’m drawn to things that are organic, industrial, slightly minimal,” says the stylist and contributing fashion editor for both Teen Vogue and Interview. “As well as things that are antique, that have a patina to them.”
Her stripped-down, story-to-tell elegance is evident in the way she dresses her clients -- Jennifer Connelly, Hilary Swank, Michelle Williams, to name a few -- as well as in her designs, a collection of Victorian mourning jewelry and objets d’art such as compasses, corkscrews, and hand-crocheted shawls. “I’m inspired by my friends,” she explains. “And the New York lifestyle – spending days going to galleries, sitting in cafes...”
Here, the Pennsylvania native, who’s called New York home for the past nine years, offers her favorite places in the city to browse fiction, sit back with tea, and stare at the wallpaper. In her own words:
Favorite Café:
Cafe Sabarsky in the Neue Galerie. It’s my favorite room in NYC.
Favorite Shop:
R store in Tribeca. It's gorgeous and industrial and minimal. They have the best jeans, t-shirts and cashmere that don't feel at all mass-produced. The men’s suits are really gorgeous. I'm dying for a couple of the mercury glass handblown pendant lamps... and, of course, I love my own jewelry collection, which is sold there...
Favorite Lingerie Store:
Jean Yu. It’s also my favorite store for a dress or a gown. Couture panties are the most extravagant thing ever, but everything Jean does is precise and in perfect taste.
Favorite Jewelry Shop:
Tenthousandthings. I love the feel of the store -- organic and modern. The guys who own it are the best -- sweet and hilarious and unbelievably talented. Their jewelry is beautiful and the selection of other jewelers’ stuff is amazing.
Favorite Record Store:
Other Music. It has the best selection of CD's, plus really great staff picks.
Favorite Strange Shop:
De Vera. I want everything.
Favorite Antique Shop:
Cafiero Select. David Cafiero's shop that is never open!!!! I love him and his taste. It changes all the time, but he has the greatest eye.
Favorite Lunch Place:
BG at Bergdorf Goodman. The wallpaper makes me feel like a lady and the people-watching is incredible.
Favorite Place for Tea:
The Adore. It’s one of my favorite places in the city. It’s a little café on the 2nd floor. The storefront sells teas and madeleines, then you can go upstairs for lunch and have little sandwiches.
Favorite Takeout:
Taim. They have falafel that is sooooo good, and ginger-mint lemonade.
Favorite Bookstore:
Three Lives. There’s such a good selection of fiction. It’s a charming, beautiful shop with a great, great staff-picks table.
Favorite Beauty
FragranceCandle Store: Aedes de Venustas. They have decadent, rich Goth decor and rare, luxurious brands and fragrances.
Go There:
Cafe Sabarsky, in the Neue Galerie, 1048 Fifth Avenue, (212) 288-0665; neuegalerie.org
R Store, 91 Franklin St., (646) 827-7554; rogannyc.com
Jean Yu, 37 Crosby St, (212) 226-0067; jeanyu.com
Tenthousandthings, 423 W. 14th St, (212) 352-1333
Other Music, 15 E. 4th St, (212) 477-8150; othermusic.com
De Vera, 1 Crosby St., (212) 625-0838; deveraobjects.com
Cafiero Select, 206 East 6th Street, (212) 414-8821
BG is located on the 7th Fl of Bergdorf Goodman, 2 W. 58th St, (212) 872-8977; bergdorfgoodman.com
The Adore, 7 East 13th Street, 2nd floor, (212) 243-8742
Taim, 222 Waverly Place, (212) 691-1287
Three Lives, 154 W. 10th St, (212) 741-2069; threelives.com
Aedes de Venustas, 9 Christopher St, (212) 206-8674; aedes.com
